KATMANDU: At least 15 Nepali workers were killed after an avalanche buried a mountain camp they were preparing in central Nepal for foreign climbers, a rescue official said on Thursday.
The avalanche struck the base camp of the 7,126-metre (23,379-foot) Himlung Himal Peak in northern Manang district over the weekend, burying workers who were pitching tents and fixing ropes. One worker remains missing.
Rescuers have recovered 15 bodies from the site so far, said Tul Singh Gurung, president of the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association (NNMGA).
Eight bodies were recovered from beneath the snow on Thursday, while seven others were retrieved earlier this week.
Rescuers were digging through deep snow Tuesday after two climbing guides died and fourteen workers went missing after an avalanche buried the base camp of the 23,379-ft Himlung Himal, a mountain in the Nepalese Himalayas near the Tibetan border. pic.twitter.com/ESdbXesC4J
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 29, 2026
“The bodies that were recovered today are expected to be brought by a helicopter to Kathmandu,” Gurung told Reuters.
He said the chances of finding the one missing worker were slim and the rescue operation was likely to wind up. The foreign climbers had not reached the site when the avalanche struck.
Each year, thousands of visitors flock to Nepal to explore or climb its mountains, providing employment for tens of thousands of people as guides, porters and other support staff, as well as in tourism-related jobs.
Latest Disaster
The incident comes during Nepal’s autumn climbing season, when mountaineers and expedition teams travel to the country’s Himalayan peaks. Heavy snowfall and avalanches can pose significant risks to climbers and support staff operating at high altitudes.
The avalanche is the latest disaster to hit Nepal in recent weeks.
The Himalayan nation is still recovering from a devastating glacial flood on August 26 that killed more than 1,400 people and left more than 6,000 missing.
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Heavy rain since Thursday has also triggered floods and landslides, killing at least 21 people, according to the national disaster agency.
Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 14 highest peaks and relies heavily on mountaineering and trekking tourism.
